Rob Steiner Gardens is a small landscape architecture studio specializing in residential gardens. I believe that gardens are places for beauty, enjoyment, and healthy outdoor living. I also believe that gardens allow us to interact, in ways both modest and profound, with natural forces greater than ourselves. In that way, they offer us transcendent experiences, be it the swaying of a grass in the breeze, moonlight reflected in water, the play of light through a canopy of leaves, the ineffable beauty of a flower.

 

With over thirty years of experience, I bring a receptivity and attentiveness to each garden site, striving to blend my work with existing natural features and context. I collaborate closely with an ensemble of craftsmen assembled over the past two decades (landscapers, masons, carpenters, lighting professionals, and metal workers), moving from plans and renderings to fully realized gardens, which integrate all the practical elements we seek from outdoor living: lounging, socializing, gardening, playing, swimming and dining.

 

A graduate of Yale University and Cornell University’s School of Landscape Architecture, I apply my formal training to gardens ranging in scale from Zen courtyards to multi-acre estates. I particularly love plants, and use a diverse climate-appropriate palette drawn from Mediterranean, native Californian, South African and Australian flora. My plantings are distinguished for their graphic quality, successional bloom, subtle modulations of tone, year-round foliage interest, and drought tolerance.  I’m also an avid vegetable gardener, eager to encourage others to grow their own. 

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I’m at home with a wide range of architecture, but am particularly drawn to modern and Mediterranean styles, seeking simplicity and clarity in all my work. My projects often feature finely finished concrete, the clean lines of metal and wood, and the cooling presence of water. I like to remind my clients that the root meaning of garden is “enclosure”, and my goal is always to create spaces that offer privacy and refreshment, and invite contemplation.

 

Born in New York, I’ve traveled widely and lived in Los Angeles since 1986. My work has been featured in numerous magazines, books, online publications, and garden tours.